This is a short, five-minute how-to clip on installing a clear grip on your stand up paddle. What’s cool about this grip, which is available at Wet Feet, is that it doesn’t add to the overall diameter thickness of the paddle shaft, as you will see on the video.

Wet Feet: This is applying a clear paddle grip to the center of your paddle. And this is nice because it doesn’t add a whole lot of thickness to the diameter of the paddle shaft. First thing you want to do is measure around, because the differences in diameter vary somewhat. And we’re looking at 3 and ¾ inches. Ok, 3 and ¾. There.

Evan: How do you make sure that thing goes on straight?

Wet Feet: That is you pretty much have to eyeball.

Evan: How low are you doing it or high?

Wet Feet: I’m doing it – I pretty much try and center it. And this is 18 inches long. It’s long enough that you have some play because depending what sort of paddling you’re doing, you’re going to have your grip a little bit lower or a little bit higher. So this gives you options as to where you’re going to have your hand.

Evan: So just eyeballing it.

Wet Feet: Yep, just eyeballing it. Starting in the middle, wrapping around. Just like that. You can use something hard to help push out any air pockets in there.

Evan: Are you just going to overlap it?

Wet Feet: I’m going to overlap it. I’m just going to take a razor blade and cut off the excess, right along the seam.

Evan: Some bubbles.

Wet Feet: Yep, some bubbles. Exactly.

Evan: You want to just cut it straight from here.

Wet Feet: Yeah, we can do that actually. We can just trim it like this. When we’re done with this side we’ll try that. You can just see a line right there.

Evan: Just screwing the pieces in there.

Wet Feet: Yeah.

Wet Feet: Nicely balanced. You can carry it to the beach over your head, on the side. Also gives you something, when you fall in to the water, and in you’re in the water, you have a handle that you can grab and pull yourself up with – just another feature about having a handles on here

Installing a Clear Grip on a Stand Up Paddle at Wet Feet Hawaii [5:21m]: Download Installing a Clear Grip on a Stand Up Paddle at Wet Feet Hawaii [5:23m]: Download